[Netherlands] Bank says no to Dutch drag queenHow hard can it be to get a bankaccount as a drag queen? As Karoline On Line, Miss Drag queen Holland 2007, found out, very hard.It took Dutchman Krijn van der Spoel, the man behind one of the most popular drag queens in The Netherlands, a year to get a new bank account approved. He tried to open an account with three of the leading banks in The Netherlands, ING, ABN Amro and SNS Bank, over the passed year but was refused each time. (Photo) [Denmark]Bombs explode on Outgames trackAn athlete was injured and other participants were frightened when three bombs were thrown onto a track during the World Outgames before a relay race. One was only a few feet from where a sleeping infant had been only moments before.[Sweden]Sex change ops under review in SwedenThe Swedish Board for Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) has launched a review of the healthcare alternatives available to transsexuals seeking to change gender.

[Pakistan] [Blog/Commentary] Being Trans in PakistanAn intellectual bloggy friend who lives in Lahore, Pakistan, has written a terrific article analyzing the implications of the recent Pakistani Supreme Court ruling which gave Pakistan’s trans community legal recognition. He also explores why the trans/intersex members of Pakistani families are so marginalized.

There has been a lot of hype few days back in media and in the blogosphere about the radical pro-people Supreme Court. Some of these “radical” decisions include orders to destroy poultry feed which contained Pork , probably Pakistan’s public enemy number one and “granting of rights to the Hijra community, the traditional indo/pak transgendered community.

[Australia] Man, I feel like a womanFormer world surfing champion Peter Drouyn always knew he was a woman trapped in a man's body.So the Tweed Heads resident underwent a sex change to free herself.(Photo Crystal Spencer/Tweed Daily News -Former surfing champion Peter Drouyn, now Westerly Windina has her sights set on making it big in the legal world.)

Editors' Note: Guest blogger Bayne MacGregor (aka Battybattybats et al) is an Australian crossdresser/ genderqueer/ bi-gender goth who has suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome for around 19 years.

[USA]Political Notebook: Congressmen face uphill battle to pass pro-gay immigration reformExcerpt: He [Solomonese] defended HRC's stance on the ENDA bill, arguing that the strategy had set the stage for passage of a trans-inclusive ENDA by the House this year. "We did the work. We never wavered. And here we are," he said.[DC, USA] D.C. Mayor Cuts LGBT FundingExcerpt: Some of the proposed LGBT-related cuts include reducing a grant for Transgender Health Empowerment from $150,000 to $60,000 and reducing two grants for the national lesbian health organization the Mautner Project from a combined total of $210,000 to $70,000.[TX, USA] Houston Mayor Proclaims Trans DayWith over 100 people in attendance, Trans activists in Houston had a reason to celebrate as the city's mayor proclaimed last Saturday “Transgender Center Day” in honor of the center’s first anniversary.[MA, USA] Report: A Trans Mental Health CrisisThirty-one percent of transgender residents of Massachusetts have considered suicide in the past year, compared with 2% of the state's non-trans heterosexual population, according to a new report.